PERFIL AMBIENTAL INGLES 06 - Transición Ecológica · 2017. 12. 22. · 14 years is equivalent to 30% of all artificial surfaces ever created in the country. In the period between

In this new edition of the Environmental Profile of Spain, the indicators

generally aggregate a further year’s data into the series presented in the

2005 report. In the majority of cases, the data extend to 2004 or 2005 (it

has only been possible to update a few indicators to 2006) and the

combined results of the three reports published to date provide a picture

of the dynamics at work in Spain’s environment.

Chapter by chapter, the indicators display each sector’s key data,

identifying the main features, existing pressures, policies being applied

and the results being achieved. It is true that, in many cases, the results

are not particularly spectacular, as change requires patience and

persistence. Areas such as water quality show immediate and appreciable

improvements that are clearly linked to construction of a growing number

of urban wastewater treatment plants. In other cases, the improvements

achieved, such as reductions in individual vehicles’ exhaust emissions

due to the introduction of new engine technologies and fuels, are

counteracted by significant increases in demand. For example, each

vehicle now generates less pollution, but factors such as current urban

development models and economic trends are driving up vehicle

numbers and use.

Government policy is also able to bring improvements in other areas, such

as urban waste collection and treatment, which are becoming increasingly

compatible with environmental conservation. However, waste generation

per inhabitant is also on the rise and Spain is moving ever closer to the

levels seen in other developed European countries.

Environmental impacts come from an increasingly diffuse and complex

range of sources, making it more difficult to tackle them now than it was

several decades ago. Meteorological conditions also generate problems

that are difficult to control. The 2005 hydrological year was one of the

driest in recent decades. Meanwhile, 2006 was one of the hottest. These

factors mean that we need to change. We need to develop flexible

economic models that do not depend solely on a single resource or site

that could become insufficient for our requirements at some point in the

future, and this applies to all resources, particularly water and energy

sources.

SU

MM

AR

Y

20 | ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE OF SPAIN 2006

AIR

The upward trend in Greenhouse Gas (GHGs) emissions continues. Over the period 1990-

2005, Spain recorded a rise of 52.2%, in other words, 37.2% above the Kyoto

commitment. By pollutant type, CO2 increased over the period by 61.2% and CH4 by

34.4%. Meanwhile, N2O rose by just 6.5%, with emissions falling in 2005 by 5% on 2004.

By sector, in 2005 energy processing (including the energy, manufacturing, construction

and transport industries) was responsible for 78.9% of total GHG emissions.

Nevertheless, it is worth recalling that in Spain emissions per unit of GDP and per

inhabitant in 2004 were still below the EU average. Put forward by the Spanish Ministry of

the Environment, in 2007 the Government approved the Spanish Air Quality Strategy

(Estrategia Española de Calidad del Aire), a guideline framework for action which is to

serve as a benchmark for all public authorities involved in the area. In February 2007, the

Government also submitted to Parliament the Air Quality and Atmospheric Protection Bill

(Proyecto de Ley de Calidad del Aire y Protección de la Atmósfera) based on the principles

of precaution and preventive action.

As regards acidifying gases, over the period 1990-2005, SO2 emissions (attributed

principally to energy production and transformation) fell by 42%, whilst NOx and NH3

emissions rose. Turning to tropospheric ozone precursor gases, over the period 1990-

2005, total CO emissions were reduced by 32.3% and NMVOCs decreased by 6.6%.

However, NOx emissions increased by 21.9% and CH4 by 33.1%.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE OF SPAIN 2006 | 21

SUMMARY

TOTAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS (CO2 equivalent)Index; 1990=100and 1995=100

Spain

2012 Kyoto TargetSpain (115%)

2012 Kyoto TargetEU15 (92%)

EU15

EU25

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

150

160

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Source: MMA and Eurostat

In terms of protection of vegetation and human health, levels of background pollution of

SO2 and NOx do not currently present a problem in Spain, but ozone levels exceed the

established target figure.

WATER

Agriculture is Spain’s biggest water consumer, although over the period 1997-2004 this

consumption only rose by 1.05%. Irrigation systems have undergone significant

modernisation and a major increase in drip irrigation has been matched by a decrease in

gravity-fed methods. Water consumption, particularly by the economic sectors, has

progressively risen over the last 10 years. Consumption for household and municipal use

has grown to a lesser, though still significant, extent. The volume of water distributed for

public supply is rising almost in parallel with GDP, although the increase is greater in terms

of total available drinking water.

Spain’s water reserves fluctuate enormously. In the period 2003-2004, available reserves

were slightly higher than average, a situation which was then reversed in the two

subsequent years as the country entered a drought cycle.

Since 2005, the installed brackish and sea water desalination capacity has grown

considerably, exceeding 2 million cubic metres per day by 2006. The Canary Islands,

Andalusia and the Mediterranean coast are the areas where these water treatment stations

are mainly located. Desalinated water production now accounts for 2% of the volume

consumed and usage is evolving as new technology brings improvements in brine

treatment and greater energy efficiency.

SUMMARY


700, 0000 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000

720Rioja

752Galicia

800Madrid

956Basque Country

960Navarre

1,000Asturias

2,700Extremadura

5,629Aragon

7,290Melilla

8,828Castile-Leon

32,000Ceuta

32,076Castile-La Mancha

119,998Catalonia

150,946Balearic Islands

258,120Valencia

258,148Murcia 466,044Andalusia 662,374

Canary Islands

Source: MMA/CEDEX

Canary Islands32%

Murcia13%

BalearicIslands

8%

Catalonia6%

Rest5%

Valencia13%

Andalusia23%

INSTALLED CAPACITY (m3 desalinated water/day) OPERATIONAL IN 2006TOTAL 2,009,341 m3/day

Nitrate pollution of groundwater continues to be a problem in Spain, with results

varying widely by River Basin District. The highest figures are found in the Guadiana

and Guadalquivir basins. Chloride is present in coastal groundwater in some coastal

hydrogeological units, although the area affected in 2003 decreased following the rise

in 2002.

Organic pollution in rivers continues to fall, thanks above all to an increase in urban

wastewater treatment as Directive 91/271/EEC is implemented. In 2005, 76% of the

pollutant load generated in urban agglomerations was treated in line with the above-

mentioned Directive, 13% was allocated to plants currently under construction, whilst the

remaining 11% was not treated or was treated insufficiently. There was also a clear

improvement in coastal bathing water quality, where only 1% of the sampling points

recorded water unsuitable for bathing in 2005.

LAND

Land is a non-renewable resource vital to ecosystems and human activity. The main

threats affecting it are erosion, organic matter loss, pollution, salinisation, compaction,

loss of land-based biodiversity, soil sealing, landslides and flooding. In Spain, artificial

surfaces have spread around major cities and along the coast. The increase over the last

14 years is equivalent to 30% of all artificial surfaces ever created in the country. In the

period between the two Corine Land Cover projects (1990 and 2000), wetland area

increased slightly.

SUMMARY


GROWTH IN ARTIFICIAL SURFACES, 1990-200045,000

40,000

35,000

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

An

da

lusi

a

Ara

go

n

Ast

uri

as

Ba

lea

ric

Isla

nd

s

Ca

na

ry I

sla

nd

s

Ca

nta

bri

a

Ca

stil

e-L

eo

n

Ca

stil

e-L

a M

an

cha

Ca

talo

nia

Ce

uta

an

d M

eli

lla

Ext

rem

ad

ura

Ga

lici

a

Ma

dri

d

Mu

rcia

Na

varr

e

Ga

squ

e C

ou

ntr

y

Rio

ja

Vale

nci

a

ha

38.454

7,747

4,301

9,130

2,637 2,682

29,415

18,971

17,707

67

7,170

8,979

30,923

14,004

3,9133,283

832

39, 948

Source: IGN, CLC 1990-2000

The change in artificial land cover between 1990 and 2000 on the 10-km-wide strip along

Spain’s coast is also measured. The ratio of artificial to non-artificial surface on this coastal

strip is four times greater than that found in the rest of the country. However, it is worth

pointing out that close to 34% of the coastline, in other words 2,852 km, fall within one of

the Protected Area categories established by Act 4/89 (Ley 4/89).

The Spanish National Land Inventory (Inventario Nacional de Suelos), which is due to be

completed in 2012, provides data on land area affected by erosion in a further two Autonomous

Communities, as well as in the 10 already covered in the previous edition of this report.

The percentage of land affected by low and very low erosion rates stands at 53.27% (soil

loss below 12 tonnes per ha per year), whilst the percentage affected by extreme, very

high and high rates stands at 12.64% (soil loss above 50 tonnes per ha per year). Meanwhile,

11.09% of Spain’s geography is considered to be at very high risk of desertification.

Royal Decree 9/2005 (RD 9/2005) has changed the criteria used to classify land as

contaminated. In line with European methodology, it establishes a list of potential soil-

contaminating activities. The corresponding authority within each Autonomous Community

must then declare affected land as contaminated, a step that makes the introduction of

remediation measures compulsory. This indicator will be updated in future editions of this

report once the data available from each Autonomous Community are brought into line

with that established in Royal Decree 9/2005.

NATURE AND BIODIVERSITYSpain has one of the greatest degrees of biodiversity anywhere in Europe and is home to

almost 80,000 classified taxa. More than 80% of vascular plants present in the EU are

found in Spain, whilst almost half of Europe’s endemic species are Spanish. The number

of endemic species of fauna found in Spain is also significant, particularly in several

specific locations.

The amount of protected area has increased: in 2005 protected areas covered 9.16% of

Spain’s geography. Moreover, this percentage rises to 26.3% if areas designated as part of

the Natura 2000 Network are included. 20.8% of the EU25’s total area designated as

Special Protection Area (SPA) for birdlife is found in Spain. In this regard, as well as in

terms of proportion of total area designated as Sites of Community Importance (SCIs),

Spain heads the table in the EU25.

According to provisional data reported in the 3rd Spanish National Forest Inventory (IFN3

– III Inventario Forestal Nacional), Spain’s forest area could exceed 27 million ha, equal to

SUMMARY


54% of the country’s total land area. During the period between this Inventory and the

previous one, completed in 1996, there was a 34.1% increase in wooded forest area

(based on provisional figures from the IFN3). Common Agricultural Policy measures and

specific conservation plans in several Autonomous Communities have undoubtedly

contributed to this increase.

In 2006, the number of species included in the Spanish National Catalogue of Endangered

Species (Catálogo Nacional de Especies Amenazadas) rose to 603. New Conservation

Strategies have been approved for these species, which include the Cantabrian brown

bear, Iberian lynx, bearded vulture, Spanish imperial eagle, Cantabrian capercaillie, wolf,

white-headed duck, European mink and Balearic shearwater.

The preliminary data taken as the starting point for the Spanish National Wetlands

Inventory (Inventario Nacional de Zonas Húmedas) identify 2,559 wetlands in Spain, of

which approximately 17% are protected under one of the various schemes. In 2006, the

number of Spanish wetlands included in the “List of Wetlands of International Importance”

rose to 64, 3.9% of Ramsar wetlands worldwide and 7.3% of the European total.

It is also worth highlighting the increase in environmental monitoring and the creation of a

specific Public Prosecutor’s office to pursue environmental offences (Act 10/2006 (Ley

10/2006), of 28 April, reforming the Forests Act (Ley de Montes)). In 2005, the Nature

Protection Service of the Civil Guard (SEPRONA - Servicio de Protección de la Naturaleza

de la Guardia Civil) reported 162,520 offences (criminal and administrative) and 852

individuals went before the courts in connection with an environmental offence.

SUMMARY


Source: MMA

An

da

lusi

a

Ara

go

n

Ast

uri

as

Ba

lea

ric

Isla

nd

s

Ca

na

ry I

sla

nd

s

Ca

nta

bri

a

Ca

stil

e-L

a M

an

cha

Ca

stil

e-L

eo

n

Ca

talo

nia

SP

AIN

Ext

rem

ad

ura

Ga

lici

a

Ma

dri

d

Mu

rcia

Na

varr

e

Ba

squ

e C

ou

ntr

y

Rio

ja

Va

len

cia

17. 0

0.4

4.9

0.8

18.8

2.3

33.2

2.6

1.4

6. 9

5.2

10.6

0.2

5.4

4.5

7.6

4.4

9.2

0.7

6.9

0.0

11.7

0.1

4.8

4.9

13.8

1.1

6.9

1.2

7.4

3.2

11.1

39.6

39.1

0.4

3.1

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

1990 2005

PAs AS PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL AREA (%)

WASTE

The volume of urban waste generated in Spain (524.5 kg/inhab/year in 2004) is slightly

below the EU15 figure (567 kg/inhab/year), but the growth rate is higher, indicating that

EU15 levels will be reached shortly. Over the period 1990-2004, urban waste generation

per inhabitant rose 62.2%, with a total of 22,735,142 tonnes being produced in 2004.

Disposal of urban waste is shifting appreciably towards more environmentally-friendly

methods. Over a decade, the percentage of waste sent to sorting and composting plants

has risen from 12% to 32%. In 2005, 59% of paper consumed was collected for recycling,

practically the same figure as the European average (60%). Although the collection rate is

increasing, the recycling rate is stabilising. Glass recycling continues to grow, although it

does display slight fluctuations. In 2005, the glass recycling rate reached 45%, an

increase of 10% on the previous year. However, Spain is still low down the list in this

respect in comparison with its European counterparts.

As regards packaging waste, in 2004 the recycling rate stood at 47.4%, approaching the

55% target set for 2009. The energy recovery rate also increased and is now close to

achieving the 2009 target of 60%. More than 39 million Spanish citizens have access to a

separate collection system for lightweight packaging. In 2005, the Ecoembes Integrated

Management System recovered 63% of packaging placed on the market.

The growing level of wastewater treatment is creating a rise in sewage sludge production,

which in 2005 increased by 2.6% on 2004 and grew by 62.6% over the period 1997-

2005. Agriculture is the main recipient of this sludge, using over 726,000 tonnes in 2005

(close to 65% of the total generated).

SUMMARY


URBAN WASTE MANAGEMENT

0

5, 000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Thousand

Source: MMA

Controlled landfill Uncontrolled landfillIncineration with energy recovery Incineration without energy recoverySorting and composting Separate collection

AGRICULTURE

The agricultural sector’s GVA1 (at constant prices) fell by 3.2% between 2000 and 2004.

This reduction in economic activity in the sector is consistent with falls in other variables,

such as fertiliser consumption. Over the period 2000-2005, consumption of phytosanitary

products increased by 16% and the trend was towards greater consumption applied to a

smaller area.

Fertiliser consumption reached its peak in 2003, at 149.3 kg/ha. However, a fall is evident

from this point onwards, with consumption dropping to 121.4 kg/ha in 2005, a reduction

of 13.2% compared with the figure for 2000.

There was also positive news as regards area devoted to organic farming, which between

1991 and 2005 increased in size 190 times. In 2005, the amount of organic farmland

stood at 807,569.27 ha. There were 17,509 operators employed in the sector, of which

15,693 were organic crop and livestock farmers.

According to provisional data provided by the MAPA, 2005 showed an increase in irrigated

area as a proportion of Utilised Agricultural Area (UAA). This rise is probably due to a decrease

in dry-farmed crops and means that irrigated area now stands at 13.6% of UAA. This

change has an impact on the environment, as the shortage of water resources is exacerbated

by rising consumption in other sectors. The situation could be compensated for by the

action programmes being carried out under the Spanish National Irrigation Plan (Plan Nacional

de Regadíos). Irrigated agriculture contributes over 50% of final agricultural output, although

it only accounts for 13.6% of utilised agricultural area and 7% of Spain’s total area.

SUMMARY


ORGANIC FARMLAND

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Source: Compiled in-house from MAPA data

thousand ha

(1) GVA for agriculture includes agriculture, livestock, hunting and forestry.

As regards pollutant emissions, there was a fall of almost 4% in emissions of acidifying and

nitrifying gases over the period 2000-2005. There was also a reduction of 11.1% in ozone

precursors over the same period, while Greenhouse Gas emissions decreased by 3.5%.

ENERGY

Unlike in the rest of the European Union, primary energy consumption has progressively

increased over the last decade in Spain. CO2 emissions by the energy production sector

rose by 8.4% over the 1990-2005 period, displaying significant fluctuations partly

associated with annual hydrological conditions. Total GHG emissions from energy

transformation over the 1990-2005 period grew by 61.6%, an increase greater than that

seen in total GHG emissions which, over the same period, rose by 52.2%.

Renewable energy use increased by 26.11% between 2000 and 2005. Nonetheless, its

contribution to total primary energy consumption remained stable at 6%, as primary

energy consumption also increased.

In the breakdown of energy consumption by source type, growth in use of natural gas,

stability in nuclear energy, and the variations in hydroelectric power generation associated

with annual hydrological conditions are all worthy of particular note.

Primary energy consumption and GHGs generated by energy production both rose

(although with fluctuations) at a rate above GDP, which reflects a certain degree of

environmental inefficiency in the sector.

SUMMARY


ANNUAL PRIMARY ENERGY CONSUMPTION (Ktoe) AND BREAKDOWNBY SOURCE TYPE (%)

52 5251 51 50 49

1715 17

15 15 1517

1614

131220

1212121313

1067

56

5 6

145,512

124,889 127,734

132,357

136,202

141,846

115,000

120,000

125,000

130,000

135,000

140,000

145,000

150,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Ktoe

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

%

Oil (%) Coal (%)

Natural gas (%) Nuclear (%)

Renewables (%) Total primary energy consumption (Ktoe) Source: IDAE. MITC

INDUSTRY

In general, atmospheric emissions by industry are increasing in Spain. The only exception

to this trend are SO2 emissions, which decreased by 61.5% over the period 1990-2005, a

change associated with desulphurisation of combustion gas and the switch from other

fuels to natural gas. Emissions of ozone precursors are generally stable, though they do

show an upward trend. The hydrological conditions in 2005 led to an increase in use of

fossil fuels in energy production. As regards emissions of fluorinated gases, in 2005 SF6

and HFCs both increased, whilst PFC emissions dropped considerably.

Energy consumption by industry continues to rise. Use of petroleum products is

diminishing and consumption of natural gas is on the increase, almost tripling over the

period 1995-2005. As regards total energy consumption, the percentage of final energy

consumption by industry is decreasing and stood at 32.5% in Spain in 2004, a figure

above EU levels.

Showing a slight fluctuation in 2001, Total Material Requirement continues to rise,

especially as regards domestic raw materials extraction, which went up 22% over the

period 2000-2003.

There was also a significant increase in the number of Spanish companies signed up to the

European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme or holding ISO 14001 certification. In fact,

Spain holds second place in the ranking by number of companies registered with EMAS.

Economic growth in the industrial sector went hand-in-hand with a slightly higher rise in

CO2 emissions. Final energy consumption also increased, although from 2003 onwards

there have been signs that this is being decoupled from economic growth. Total Material

Requirement is growing in parallel to development in the sector. There are also signs of

some decoupling as regards emissions of acidifying gases and ozone precursors.

SUMMARY


ATMOSPHERIC EMISSIONS BY INDUSTRY 1990-2005

800,000

700,000

600,000

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

100, 000

0

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

SO2 (t) NOX (t) NMVOC (t) CO (t) CO2 (kt) Source: MMA

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

0

t kt

FISHING

The decrease in the size of the Spanish fishing fleet (in terms of number of vessels and

capacity) between 2004 and 2005 accounted for 20.3% of the reduction in the total EU15

fleet. The number of vessels fell from 14,071 at 31 December 2004 to 13,694 at 31

December 2005. Total catches also fell once more, with the overall decrease over the

period 1994-2004 standing at 22.07%. During the same period, catches in adjacent

waters fell by 25.26%.

Although showing an upward trend, aquaculture nonetheless recorded sharp fluctuations

in output due, above all, to rises and falls in mussel production. Fish farming recorded

continued growth and, in 2005, production stood at 30,497 tonnes.

TOURISMThe number of non-resident tourists increased on the previous year. In 2005, more than

55.6 million non-Spanish citizens chose Spain as a holiday destination, a 6% increase on

the 2004 figure. This increase was also reflected in revenue, which rose by 4.3%.

According to data provided by Spain’s Active Population Survey (EPA – Encuesta de

Población Activa) as regards employment generated in the sector, in 2005 2.3 million

people worked in tourism-related fields, 4.8% more than in 2004.

This chapter presents indicators portraying the increase in the number of foreign tourists

per resident, modes of transport used to arrive in Spain (with a growing predominance of

air travel), number of foreign tourists per kilometre of coast, changes in the Tourist

Population Equivalent (i.e. the proportion of the visiting population in relation to the host

population), and finally the number of visitors to National Parks. This final indicator

showed a significant fall in 2004-2005.

SUMMARY


NO. OF VESSELS AND FISHING CAPACITY (DOMESTIC FISHING GROUNDS)

0

100, 000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900.000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Source: MAPA

Power (kW)Tonnage (GT)

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

No. of vessels

Power (kW) Tonnage (GT) No. of vessels

In terms of modes of transport, a new factor has made dramatic inroads over recent years:

low-cost airlines (LCAs) brought in more than 15 million tourists in 2005, 29.7% of all

arrivals by air (51.4 million). This transport mode is booming and, in 2005, usage

increased by 30.8% on the previous year.

Sustainability in tourism involves increasing alternatives to avoid concentration,

overcrowding and seasonality, encouraging inland tourism and a change in inland travel

habits, promoting more sustainable modes of transport.

TRANSPORTOver the period 1995-2005, road passenger transport grew by 40.7%, rail by 30.3% and

sea by 43.4%. Road transport remains the most widely used mode, although air transport

has seen greatest growth since 1990 (131.7% over the above-mentioned period). Road

transport also predominates in goods carriage, accounting for 85% of total goods transport

in 2005.

Over the period 1990-2005, greenhouse gas emissions by transport rose by 78.3%, while

those of acidifying gases fell by 2.7%. Meanwhile, emissions of tropospheric ozone

precursor gases by transport dropped by 32.5%. Despite technological advances, vehicles’

CO2 emissions were not reduced, as there were increases both in vehicle fleet size and

usage. There was a clear reduction, however, in NOx emissions. Although showing slight

fluctuations, final energy consumption by transport stood at 37.5% of the total.

SUMMARY


Spain(average10 AC)

NUMBER OF FOREIGN TOURISTS PER KM OF COAST1,000 foreigntourists

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

Source: IET, INE

BasqueCountry

Cantabria Asturias Galicia Andalusia Murcia Valencia Catalonia BalearicIslands

CanaryIslands

Waste generated by transport, some of it hazardous, requires specific management. In

2004, treatment of end-of-life tyres increased, dumping as landfill fell and recycling and

energy recovery rose.

The high number of accidents and victims caused every year by road transport has been

falling since 1989. Over the period 1990-2005, the number of fatalities fell by 36.1% at

the same time as the vehicle fleet increased by more than 76%.

There is no sign of growth in the sector being decoupled from the pressure that it exerts on

the environment: over the period 1995-2005, GDP rose by 38.4% while passenger

transport grew by 43%, goods transport by 60.3% and GHG emissions by transport

increased by 54.5%.

HOUSEHOLDSThe household sector is defined in terms of two parameters: housing units and

households. In 2001, there were 20.9 million family housing units, of which 2.5 million

were considered empty and almost 3 million were second homes. Over the period 2001-

2005, almost 3 million housing units were built in Spain, bringing the total stock to nearly

24 million.

As regards households, these stood at 14.2 million (2001) and comprised 40.8 million

inhabitants. This figure coincides with that for family housing units, i.e., the place of

habitual residence. The recent influx of immigrants raised the resident population to 44

million (2005) and the number of households to 14.5 million. In this context, the chapter

analyses indicators related to the number of passenger cars per household, waste

generation, energy consumption, CO2 emissions, water consumption and gross disposable

household income.

SUMMARY


PASSENGER TRANSPORT(thousand million passenger-km)

Source: Spanish Ministry of Public Works

RailAirSea

Rail Air Sea Road

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Road

0

5

10

15

20

25

The passenger car fleet continues to grow, standing at 19.5 million units in 2004. In the

same year, 1.6 million new passenger cars were registered (77% of the total number of

new vehicles). The average number of passenger cars per household in Spain is now

1.34. Five Autonomous Communities, as well as Ceuta and Melilla, recorded figures

above this level.

Annual average urban waste production per household climbed from 1,420 t/household in

1998 to 1,565 t/household in 2004. In the same year, Spain generated 526 kg/inhabitant

per year, a rise of 6% on the previous year. This figure was below the EU15 average, which

reached 577 kg/inhabitant per year in 2003.

Energy consumption attributed to Spanish households rose by almost 4% in 2004

compared with 2003. Spain, with a figure of 1.12 toe/household, has one of the lowest

household energy consumption rates in Europe, although it is rising fast.

The residential sector was responsible for 5.34% of total CO2 emitted into the atmosphere

in 2005 and contributed to Greenhouse Gas concentrations by the same proportion. These

figures mean that each household produced around 1.3 tonnes of CO2 in 2004, an

amount below the European average. Over the period 1990-2005, these emissions went

up by 51.6%, representing an average annual increase of 3.4%. However, in 2005 this

figure only rose by 0.8% on 2004.

Water consumption by Spanish households in 2004 stood at 2,701 hm3, rising by 3.76%

on the previous year. Household consumption accounted for 67% of total water distributed

for public urban use. Consumption per inhabitant per day stood at 171 litres, 4 litres more

than the year before. Over the period 1996-2004, average consumption per inhabitant per

day rose by 25 litres in absolute terms, equivalent to 17%.

SUMMARY


ELECTRICITY INTENSITY IN THE RESIDENTIAL SECTOR (KWh/household)

European Union

Spain

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

5,000

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Source: IDAE, MITyC

Average gross disposable income per household in 2003 stood at 35,285, representing

an increase of 11.2% since 2000. By Autonomous Community, the highest levels of

disposable income were found in households in Navarre, the Basque Country and Madrid.

Breaking this figure down to an individual level reveals that gross disposable income per

person in 2003 stood at 11,918. Levels above this average were also found in the three

aforementioned Autonomous Communities.

URBAN ENVIRONMENTIn Spain, 1,000 municipalities (large and small urban areas) covering an area of 96,000

km2 and consisting of 11 million main housing units are home to 34 million people. One of

the characteristics of current urban growth is the tendency towards more scattered

settlement beyond traditional city limits.

The indicator that measures growth of cities with more than 10,000 inhabitants (Urban

pressure on land) compares the population living in these municipalities with each

Autonomous Community’s total land area. In 2005, this ratio stood at 67.86 inhabitants per

km2 nationwide, an increase of 10% since 2000. Highest urban density is found in Ceuta

and Melilla, followed by Madrid, the Basque Country, the Canary Islands and Catalonia.

The biggest percentage changes were recorded in the Autonomous Communities that

received the highest number of immigrants.

The indicator tracking air quality in the urban environment, which provides information

regarding averages for groups of municipalities, reveals the following changes:

SUMMARY


0 - 50 inhab/km2

50 - 100 inhab/km2

100 - 300 inhab/km2

300 - 1.000 inhab/km2

>1.000 inhab/km2

URBAN DENSITY BY AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY, 2005 (inhab/km2)

• Positive trend in nitrogen dioxide concentration levels: concentration decreased,

although levels in cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants still exceed the 2010

target.

• Average annual particulate matter (PM10) concentration levels showed a clear

downward trend, recording figures below the established limit. Nonetheless, the limit

figure for the number of days in which daily concentrations are above 50 µg/m3 is still

being exceeded.

• There is a rising trend in the number of days per year in which average daily

concentration levels exceed 120 µg/m3, although in 2005 this was still below the target

of 25 days/year set for 2010.

Local mobility and passenger transport are analysed on the basis of data provided by

Public Transport Authorities (Autoridades de Transporte Público) in 13 metropolitan areas

with an overall resident population of 18.5 million. Both population and number of annual

journeys in these areas increased in 2004. Madrid headed the table in terms of number of

journeys by public transport per inhabitant per year (252.3), followed by Corunna, Bilbao,

Barcelona and Valencia.

In the modal breakdown of work-related journeys, private vehicles constituted the most

widely used mode, exceeding 50% of journeys in all of the metropolitan areas except

Barcelona and Madrid. The modal breakdown of non-work-related journeys revealed that

city-dwellers prefer to travel on foot: the highest percentage being 60% in Bilbao, followed

by Madrid.

As regards environmental noise, strategic noise maps are currently being drawn up for

6,000 km of the State Highways Network (Red de Carreteras del Estado) that connect and

affect Spain’s major population centres. This report presents the conclusions of a pilot

study carried out on the A-42 (Madrid-Toledo) motorway that passes through 23 municipal

districts in the Autonomous Communities of Madrid and Castile-La Mancha and analyses

the area exposed to traffic noise and the number of housing units, hospitals, education

centres and people exposed to varying noise levels.

In quantitative terms, Spain’s Protected Historical Heritage developed positively over the

period 1990-2005, and 15,000 buildings are now classified as protected monuments,

historic environments, historic sites, archaeological sites and historic gardens. This last

category was the only one to see a slight decrease in numbers. Over the period 1984-

2003, 37 locations were declared World Heritage Sites by Unesco, many of them

significant areas of Spain’s historic cities.

SUMMARY


Finally, 23.4% of Spain’s municipalities are covered by a ‘Network of Networks’ set up to

implement local sustainability policies. In total, 1,896 towns and cities are involved in

processes related to Local Agenda 21, covering a population of around 19 million

inhabitants.

NATURAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL DISASTERS

Spain regularly suffers periods of drought. The hydrological year running from October

2005 to September 2006 produced a major deficit in several river basins, among them the

Tagus, Guadiana, Guadalquivir, Segura and Júcar.

The number of fatalities due to natural disasters varies from year to year depending on the

occurrence of phenomena such as floods and spates, storms, maritime storms, forest fires,

etc. Forest fires stand out particularly in the 2005 statistics following the 11 deaths caused

by a fire in Guadalajara. Looking beyond these tragedies, every year the average area

affected by fire decreases, thanks above all to faster response speeds and improvements

in fire-extinguishing equipment and techniques.

As regards goods transport, the number of rail accidents causing possible environmental

damage fell, whilst the upward trend (with slight fluctuations) in the number of road

accidents causing possible environmental damage was maintained. There was also a

reduction in the number of oil spills due to maritime accidents.

In 2005 there were no major accidents at facilities covered by the Seveso Directive.

SUMMARY


AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL IN SPAIN (mm)1, 000

900

800

700

600

500

400

300

19

41

19

43

19

45

19

47

19

49

19

51

19

53

19

55

19

57

19

59

19

61

19

63

19

65

19

67

19

69

19

71

19

73

19

75

19

77

19

79

19

81

19

83

19

85

19

87

19

89

19

91

19

93

19

95

19

97

19

99

20

01

20

03

20

05

Extremely dry (R < 495 mm)

Very dry (495 ? R < 571) Source: INM. MMA.

Dry (571 < R < 607)

Normal (607 < R < 709)

Wet (709 < R < 754)

Very wet (754 < R < 909)

Extremely wet (R < 909)

SUMMARY


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PERFIL AMBIENTAL INGLES 06 - Transición Ecológica · 2017. 12. 22. · 14 years is equivalent to 30% of all artificial surfaces ever created in the country. In the period between